The Contract Wife Tries to Leave - Chapter 138
The birthday banquet for Leonid was set to be held in Blau Hall, near the annex. The entire household was busy with preparations for the event, but Johanna had little to contribute. Typically, events like this were managed by the lady of the house, but Leonid had entrusted everything to Annette, not Johanna.
In the end, all Johanna could do was nod approvingly when Annette presented her formal reports and sign the necessary documents.
On the afternoon of July 20th, the day before the birthday, Johanna went to pick up the gift she had pre-ordered. The artisan at the workshop seemed to have been eagerly awaiting her arrival; the moment she stepped through the door, he sprang up from his seat.
“Ah, welcome, Marchioness of Neubitz. I’ve been expecting you.”
Johanna responded to the craftsman’s warm greeting with a smile. This workshop specialized in engraving anything, no matter the item. Johanna had left a revolver she had purchased in advance at the shop four days ago, and she had come today after receiving a notification.
“It’s such a beautiful gun, and since you mentioned it was a gift for the Marquess of Neubitz, I put special care into the engraving.”
The craftsman handed over the velvet box containing the revolver with great respect. On the polished silver barrel, Leonid’s name was intricately engraved. The gun, already as beautiful as a work of art, looked even more special with his name carved into it.
“Thank you. I really like it.”
“I’m relieved to hear that, haha.”
The craftsman expressed his gratitude over a dozen times, saying it was an honor to be trusted with the task. After leaving the workshop, Johanna stopped by the armory to purchase bullets that fit the revolver and loaded them into the cylinder. After all, it wouldn’t do to give an empty revolver to someone who always carried a loaded gun.
Then, she returned to the Weimar estate, and night fell.
At midnight, it would be the 21st—Leonid’s birthday. At exactly 9:30, Johanna took the gift and headed to his room. It would have been ideal to give it to him precisely at midnight, but there was no guarantee he’d be awake by then, so now seemed the most appropriate time.
“Come in.”
With his permission from inside, Nella quickly opened the door for her. She sent Johanna an encouraging look, and her earnest expression was so endearing that Johanna couldn’t help but smile.
Leonid’s room was, as always, filled with his pheromones. While scent has no color, the atmosphere almost seemed to take on a visible hue. It felt like a very cold, pale, icy white. If one were to describe Leonid’s pheromones, that would be the most fitting description.
Whenever she felt his pheromones, Johanna experienced a sense of drowsy calm, a peacefulness that settled her mind. Yet, at the same time, heat flushed through her body, and her heart began to beat faster. It stirred a desire for him—a common reaction for an omega who had grown accustomed to her partner, nothing unusual about it.
“Why are you here?”
As always, he didn’t look directly at Johanna, asking his question in a detached tone. Though he occasionally showed moments of kindness, he was generally a cold and aloof person.
Not that she felt hurt by it. It was just… curiosity, perhaps. She wondered how gentle he might become if he ever found someone he truly loved. The bits of tenderness he sometimes offered her—how would they overflow into radiance if directed toward someone else?
And just how beautiful would he be in those moments?
“Tomorrow… it’s your birthday, Marquess,” she said softly.
“Well, yes, it is,” he replied, sounding indifferent, as if his approaching birthday held no particular significance to him.
After hesitating for a moment, Johanna carefully placed the gift she had hidden behind her back onto the table. Leonid’s gaze, which had been fixed on the book in his hands, shifted to the velvet box, and a hint of surprise crossed his face.
Feeling a bit self-conscious, Johanna rubbed her cheek and spoke with a touch of awkwardness.
“It’s a birthday present I prepared. I don’t know if you’ll like it, but…”
“…”
“Happy birthday… sincerely.”
It was nothing more than a conventional greeting, simple and unremarkable. But perhaps because of its simplicity, the sincerity within it shone through, clear and unadorned. It sparkled, pure and transparent, even within her eyes.
A strange shiver ran through him, a fleeting sensation that left no trace behind, making it all the more mysterious.
“……”
Leonid silently picked up the box and lifted the lid to see what was inside.
A silver revolver with an intricately engraved barrel and a sleek ebony handle, a .44 caliber model, lay within. The cylinder was already loaded with six bullets, neatly in place.
It was evident at a glance that this was a premium piece, one of only a few ever produced. And with his name engraved on the barrel, it held an even more personal and special significance.
